Tip-up seats are frequently used in vehicles, such as rear truck seats, providing the user the opportunity to fold up the seat to provide for more room within the truck interior. The seats are commonly mounted to a rear vehicle cabin wall or to the floor of the vehicle cabin. As the seat portion of the seat assembly tips up towards the seat back of the seat assembly, the striker pin of the assembly mounted to the seat portion moves towards the latch fixedly located on the seat back portion of the seat assembly. As the striker pin moves towards the latch, the free end of the striker pin is free to move. The unsupported free end of the striker pin frequently results in misconnection of the latch to the striker pin or unwanted unlatching of the striker pin from the latch.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate this example of the prior art. The striker pin is shown having a free end and a striker pin head. The main pivot and main pivot bolt support the seat portion as the seat portion rotates up to the seat back in a stowed position. As the seat portion rotates upwards towards the seat back, the striker pin rotates downwards to the latch. The unsupported striker pin and free end of the striker pin frequently do not successfully meet with the latch since the striker pin is not stable or supported.